Steam cleaning of CMP components

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11628478-B2
Application number	US-202016886567-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 28, 2020
Priority date	May 29, 2019
Publication date	Apr 18, 2023
Grant date	Apr 18, 2023

Abstract

A method of cleaning for a chemical mechanical polishing system includes directing a gas that includes steam from an orifice onto a component in the polishing system while the component is spaced away from a polishing pad of the polishing system to clean the component, and moving the component into contact with the polishing pad.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of cleaning for a chemical mechanical polishing system, comprising:
while a component in the polishing system is spaced away from a polishing pad of the polishing system, the component comprising a carrier head or a substrate to be polished, directing out of a nozzle a wet steam aerosol component at an inter-platen station to clean polishing by-product off the component, wherein the wet steam aerosol comprises a gas component that consists of steam, wherein the wet steam aerosol comprises liquid water at a concentration of less than 5 wt % of the wet steam aerosol, wherein the wet steam aerosol is formed by mixing liquid water with steam, and wherein that wet steam aerosol has a temperature of around 40-50° C. prior to reaching the component; and
moving the cleaned component into contact with the polishing pad.

2. The method of claim 1 , comprising setting a timer and halting the step of directing wet steam aerosol out of the nozzle at expiration of the timer.

3. The method of claim 1 , comprising positioning the component in a treatment station spaced from the polishing pad and directing the wet steam aerosol onto the component at the treatment station.

4. The method of claim 3 , comprising rotating the component in the treatment station as wet steam aerosol is directed onto the component.

5. The method of claim 3 , comprising vertically moving the component in the treatment station as the wet steam aerosol is directed onto the component.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein cleaning the component comprises removing coagulated slurry.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein cleaning the component comprises removing coagulated polishing debris.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the wet steam aerosol is directed onto at least a membrane of the carrier head.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the wet steam aerosol is directed onto an outer surface of the carrier head.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the wet steam aerosol has a flow rate in a range from 1 to 1000 cubic centimeters per minute (cc/min).

Assignees

• Applied Materials Inc

Inventors

• Wu Haosheng
• Tang Jianshe
• Soundararajan Hari
• Chang Shou-Sung
• Chen Hui
• Chou Chih Chung
• Fisher Alexander John
• Butterfield Paul D

Classifications

• H10P52/402

  of semiconductor materials · CPC title

• H10P70/20

  Cleaning during device manufacture · CPC title

• H10P72/0472

  comprising at least one polishing chamber · CPC title

• B08B1/16

  Rigid blades, e.g. scrapers; Flexible blades, e.g. wipers · CPC title

• B08B1/14

  Wipes; Absorbent members, e.g. swabs or sponges (with integrated means for dispensing fluids B08B1/40) · CPC title